28 December 2007

Gothamist has quoted owner Michael Diliberto as saying the place, closed since Thanksgiving 2006, will not open again. Instead is will make way for the scourge of our times: condos. Diliberto lost his co-owner and brother, Joe Diliberto, two months ago, and doesn't wish to soldier on alone. Joe succumbed to cancer.

The loss of the Cedar is sad, but not as sad as it might be. While the famous bar was once host to many a famous, hard-drinking writer and Abstract Expressionist painter in its heyday, its current location, 82 University Place, is not where Dylan and Pollack and Kerouac imbibed and talked and vomited. That was further down the street at 24 University Place. The business moved in 1963 to a space that its famous patrons wouldn't recognize as home. The typical Cedar Tavern patron in recent decades was more likely to be a tourist looking to recapture history and locate Frank O'Hara's favorite bar stool. In a way, the Cedar died many years ago. Still....

Oh, as to the name: the tavern was originally opened back in 1866 on Cedar Street way downtown. A 141-year-old saloon, gone for good. Think about that. How many of those can be left in America? Excuse me—I want to alone for a while.

2 comments:

Timi
said...

I'm surprised you're so blase about the Cedar Tavern. Did you ever go? As far as I can tell, it wasn't a tourist spot, but a meeting spot for people in the city. It wasn't mostly tourists but NYC people who came there regularly to enjoy the gorgeous old wooden style of the downstairs, the usually less crowded upstairs with its larger tables for larger gatherings, decent beer on tap, good affordable pub food, friendly service from long-time bartenders. I'm very sad that it's gone forever and still haven't found a replacement.

The original, running Jeremiad on the vestiges of Old New York as they are steamrolled under or threatened by the currently ruthless real estate market and the City Fathers' disregard for Gotham's historical and cultural fabric. Est. January 2006.Contact Me

About Me

I have lived in New York City since 1988 and earn my bread as a writer. I began this blog in January 2006. Beyond that, don't be so nosy.
"I am not a pessimist; to perceive evil where it exists is, in my opinion, a form of optimism."
—Roberto Rossellini